TREBLE-WINNING Coventry Buildbase Bees launch the 2008 season tonight with the first of back-to-back challenge matches against Premier League Sheffield.

The fixtures present the Bees management with the opportunity to experiment with some team formations ahead of the start of official competition next week.

Rory Schlein moves up into the No.1 race-jacket, and will tonight be partnered by Billy Janniro with Chris Harris teaming up with Olly Allen. In tomorrow's return at Brandon, those pairings are reversed with the second-strings exchanging positions.

Simon Stead makes his Bees debut on one of his favourite tracks, having held the Owlerton track record for three years until it was broken by Australian hotshot Chris Holder towards the end of last season.

And while Coventry will be expected to start with a win against lower-league opponents, the Tigers are a well-established line-up with a heat-leader trio who are all high-quality performers around their home circuit. Andre Compton and Ricky Ashworth, in particular, can be expected to give all of the Bees riders a tough time.

Sheffield finished as runnersup in the Premier League last season, have retained all of their top five and are one of the teams strongly fancied to compete for a place in the newlyintroduced promotion playoffs at the end of the season.

The fixture also marks the start of new owner Allen Trump's time in charge of the Bees, although the riders will notice few difference as the tried and trusted combination of Colin Pratt and Peter Oakes take control in the pits.

Oakes said: "It will be hard to emulate last season, but we're in exactly the same position as we were this time last year, and in the same position as everyone else - it's a fresh start.

"We're pleased with the team, as you have to be at the start of the season, and it's always exciting at the beginning of the season. What we did last year counts for nothing now, and the challenge is to make sure we win something again."

BEES' last visit to Owlerton threw up a terrific match in the British League Cup in May 2003 under regulations designed to equalise the teams from different divisions. Sheffield won 47-43 as Andre Compton held off the challenge of Billy Hamill and Billy Janniro for a 3-3 in the last race. Hamill topscored with 15 (paid 16) but that final race was Janniro's only defeat of the meeting.

VIEWPOINT

DESPITE the general tightening of the gap between Elite and Premier Leagues over the winter, a sizeable gap still exists and the Buildbase Bees should be able to show that tonight, even allowing for a significant home track advantage. Sheffield will undoubtedly be competitive and 'up for it' but Bees should kick off with a win.